


Sparklers and Cinnamon

by you_guys_are_losers (courting_insanity)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, PeterMJ - Freeform, Spideychelle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courting_insanity/pseuds/you_guys_are_losers
Summary: For all her quirks, MJ doesn't always mind a little dose of cliche.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 90





	Sparklers and Cinnamon

Her hand in his has Peter’s heart racing faster than any swing through Queens has ever given him. 

It’s a bright day, and it’s cliche and ridiculous and crowded at Coney Island. The tickets were way too expensive, the colors of the bright pink cotton candy and the smell of candied nuts are overpowering, and all of it is an extremely bright contrast to MJ’s muted tones and grey jacket. 

The shy, growing grin on her lips completely washes out the artificial colors, sounds, and smells around them. 

Carefully, her fingertips brush his once more, and Peter can feel the hardened skin there that comes from the embroidery she recently revealed she enjoys. He catches his breath, moving his thumb to lightly brush the outside of their entwined hands. It’s her turn to inhale, and Peter casts her an amused look in response to the reaction. 

The warm light of the sun, which is just beginning to set, sets her hair on fire as she turns her head to him, raising an eyebrow. Her lips part slightly as she glances away, but despite the flustered quirk to her lips, her eyes hold that same dry humor that he like so much. 

“Something you want to share with the class, Peter?” she prompts, bumping her shoulder with his as they pass a family with a particularly large stroller and too many kids to really be paying attention. 

“Nah, nah,” Peter says easily, unable to keep a teasing grin off his lips. “I’m good.” 

“Well, according to the Sokovia Accords, you’re, like, a criminal. So if that’s your version of ‘good.’“ She raises her eyebrows at him, challenging, but the smile that has grown on his mouth is mirrored on her own. 

“Yeah... I’m pretty sure this is my version of good,” Peter breathes, his hand squeezing her own slightly. Her mouth releases into a soft ‘o’ as their steps slow for a moment, his eyes locked on hers. Her torso shifts towards him slightly, and for a second they stop, causing a group of girls behind them to shoot Peter and MJ a look. 

MJ doesn’t even glance their way. She is frozen, and for a moment so is he, just staring. 

“Sorry,” he breathes, hand rising to rub the back of his neck. 

“It’s okay.” Her face is sunshine and starlight and all of the cheesy things that Peter has ever read about in books... No. Those things aren’t MJ. Her smile is a gentle rain on the day that you feel like you’re crawling out of your skin, soothing and cool. 

He hopes it never stops falling, that it pours down around him. 

“So, uh... You said that you wanted to come here for a reason?” MJ continues walking, her hands moving to her pockets. Still, they maintain their proximity; her shoulder brushes his as they walk, and a few stray wisps of her hair tickle his cheek in the breeze. 

“Yeah! Yeah,” Peter says quickly, brightening. “Um, I mean... It’s a pretty good people-watching spot.” 

“Definitely,” MJ agrees, tipping her chin up to observe the crowd. “I’ve already seen, like, twelve people being pick-pocketed. It’s a good day.” 

Peter grins, and he runs a hand through his hair as he tips his head to the side to watch her react. “Well... What about watching them from up above?” 

MJ’s eyes widen, then narrow. “Wait, are we talking about spider-ing? Because, uh, nope. Not a fan, so...”

“Uh, no,” Peter says quickly, shaking his head. “No, no. I actually meant...” His gaze drifts over her shoulder to the ferris wheel, the iconic one with a ridiculously long line. Her eyes follow his to the Wonder Wheel, and a little grin drifts onto her lips as she glances back to him.

“You remembered.” 

“Yeah.” He pauses, then reaches to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear so that it’s not drifting in her face. Her lips twitch as she looks at him, and for a moment the emotions on her face are more than just happiness. Then she’s leaning forward, and Peter can’t think straight because she’s just given him a quick peck on the cheek. 

MJ doesn’t pause to acknowledge the gesture as she continues walking, her hand tugging his sleeve to turn him in the direction of the wheel. He can’t help the laughter that leaves him at her attempt to move past the moment. 

“Wait, wait. What was that?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just making sure that that freckle behind your ear isn’t cancerous.” 

“Cool. Verdict?” 

“You’re totally gonna die in, like, three hours.” 

“Sad day. At least we’ll be a quarter of the way through the line by then.” 

Her stifled huff of amusement buoys him along on the summer afternoon, and so they continue on down the path to the iconic New York landmark. 

The line isn’t bad, actually. It’s getting later, and a lot of park-goers are leaving to fetch dinner, particularly those with young children. The light is getting longer, and Peter and Michelle’s shadows are emaciated, willowy giants as they take their place in the line. Soon, golden sunlight has turned orange and coral, exploding across the landscape around them as they play stupid games to pass the time in line. 

“Most likely to have a second family living in another country. Go.” 

“Blue shirt, buying her kids the whole popcorn stand.” 

Peter’s eyes find the woman MJ is referring to, contemplating her before nodding. “You had that answer ready really fast.” 

“I can tell when someone only has one double life. Amateurs.” Peter grins in response to MJ’s quip, shaking his head as she searches her mind for a category. “Most likely to be part of a cult.” 

“You.” 

“Right answer. Now I have to either indoctrinate you or kill you. Your choice.” 

Peter hums, thinking about it as he pulls their half-finished bag of roasted nuts from his pocket. “I think I choose indoctrination,” he decides, holding it out to her after taking a few for himself. 

She does so without hesitation, popping one in her mouth as they take a few steps closer to the cars of the ferris wheel, tossing one of the nuts to a pigeon that is strutting a few feet away from them. The bird tips his head to the side in an angular movement, studying them before pecking once, then twice at the nut. It turns its head back to them, squawking once before it flaps away. The nut has been left behind.

“Ungrateful,” MJ muses. “I was trying to be environmentally friendly.” 

“Is that what that was?” 

“I’m nurturing Mother Earth, Peter. Don’t mock me.” 

Peter grins, tucking away the rest of the remaining snack. “Noted.” Michelle watches him for a moment with the same scrutinizing gaze as the pigeon did. “I had fun today.” 

“Me, too. I’m really glad you came.” 

MJ opens her mouth to say something, but then the underpaid teen running the ride calls, “Hey. Are you getting on, or...?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter says quickly. MJ blinks and quickly turns, and the two get into the cream-colored car before the redheaded kid running the machine shuts the door with a little more force than necessary. Before either of them can say anything, the car is moving up to allow the next group of people in.

Michelle inhales, and then she lets out a deep breath as she peers out the window at the ocean and the beach. Peter spares the window a quick glance, and the fading pink sunset on the water is certainly a pretty sight. He likes the view from right here, though... The way that her eyes are dissecting the landscape below like those of a bird of prey. The intensity of her gaze is contrasted against the soft, violet light that is filtering into the car. 

He thinks he could get used to this feeling of fireworks in his chest. 

Someone brought sparklers to the beach below, and MJ is currently watching the sputtering lights from just above ground level. Peter imagines that when they are up high, they will shimmer and shine like scraps of tinfoil on the pavement below. 

“You know, Ned and Betty almost died on a ferris wheel,” she mentions, her fingers relaxing on the caged windows. 

“Eh, not really,” Peter says, trying for her nonchalant tone. “I mean, you’re the one who proved that one wrong.” 

She glances at him over her shoulder, smiling slightly. “I did. Maybe I should be the one in the suit.” 

“Mm.” 

“What, are you saying that you don’t think I could kick someone’s ass?” MJ asks, turning her gaze to him. The same stare that caught him so off-guard in the opera house is one he’s getting used to, slowly but surely. 

“No,” Peter says, shaking his head as he looks at her from across the car, suddenly a bit bashful now that they’re alone.

“I just think you could save more people as MJ than I ever could as Spider-Man.” 

The car lurches as the ride begins moving; neither of them is prepared for it. MJ stiffens, and across the car she audibly catches her breath. At least that’s marginally less embarrassing than Peter’s reaction, which is to adhere himself to the sides with his fingertips. 

MJ is amused as Peter’s cheeks heat up. “Maybe I should sit by you,” she suggests, her voice careful to stay cool. “You know, just so that they don’t have to pry you out of this thing.” 

“Uh, yeah, I’m cool with that,” Peter says, voice sheepish as she moves to sit beside him. He can smell the lemony scent of her shampoo as she settles beside him; it grows stronger as her head drifts down to rest against his. He exhales, resting his own temple on her shoulder comfortably as the car begins to move. The lights from below are growing to be the only illumination as the final rays of the sun disappear. 

“I can’t believe you remembered,” she murmurs from beside him, and Peter feels his cheeks heat again. “Dork.” 

“Hey... It was just that good.” 

“No, it wasn’t. I had just started stippling, it was crazy uneven.”

“I thought it was really cool,” Peter defends himself, allowing his head to sink further against her shoulder. 

MJ hums, her hand coming to rest against his on his knee. He lightly runs his fingertips along her knuckles, watching the changing sky outside the window. “You’ve always been a really good artist, and it was my first day at Midtown. It was the coolest thing I’d seen all day, and you looked so... I dunno. You.” 

MJ is quiet from beside him, and when she finally does, it’s to say, “Wow. You’re more cliche than I already thought you were.” 

“Than you already thought I was?” 

“You’re a high-school superhero who was bitten by a radioactive spider. You could have your own Disney channel show or something.” 

Peter grins, and he reaches for her hand. She gives it to him willingly, and when the wheel stops with them at its highest point, she glances his way. Though her words are dry, her tone is a bit breathless as they take in the sight of the beach below. 

“I can’t think of anything that could possibly make this cheesier.” 

Someone down below lights fireworks, which explode in the night sky above and bathe the world in red and blue. 

Peter doesn’t remember starting to laugh, but he does know that MJ somehow manages to look both fond and exasperated as she leans over to kiss him. Her lips taste like cinnamon and brown sugar against his, and Peter knows that this is the moment he’s going to come back to whenever he needs reminding of what “home” is.


End file.
